Ive personally made one similar and these work great! A tin can with both ends can work in a pinch. For those of you concerned with drowning mice? Simple, dont add water. For those of us with a fear of disease, dangerous destruction of home, food and possessions, including thousands of dollars worth of possible damage to your home and car, add water. Rats are large and tricky and from my experience can reach from the edge of the bucket to the can without ever leaving the edge. In my experience, this works best with small field mice and the like.